Hey, everyone. Took a little longer than the new usual to get this chapter out… and, well, there's some reasons for that.

Put summarily, back in early July, one of my maternal uncles died, just days before we were to have a memorial for my paternal aunt who passed away in May. Then just a day before my parents' anniversary at the start of September, my uncle (husband of the aunt who died) passed away from the virus… yeah. Combined with my brother having a seizure the very next day that left him bruised all over and a fracture in his right foot as well as a number of far minor things (two power outages during heat wave, flooring issues from recent remodel, family drama, etc.), needless to say, my mood and especially that of my family's had ended up being pretty shitty. Just doesn't help that in all three deaths, we've had pretty much no closure what with the quarantine going on to keep us from seeing any of them prior to their passing.

So, yeah, for quite a few days I just really couldn't bring myself to so much as turn my laptop on much less write, which is why this chapter is only now coming out. That I even got the chapter out this fast after beginning to write is due more to my OCD and just needing something to focus on than anything else at the moment.

Well, all things considered, we are coming to terms with it in our own ways – there were complicated medical conditions involved and stuff, so we kind of felt their early passings weren't too surprising in hindsight, though we only admitted that after the fact. In any case, we've done our grieving and my family and I are figuring out what's to come after. It's just that, well, this year has been a rough one in its latter half so far.

I know I'm definitely not the only one dealing with some shit right now, so to those of you who are also struggling in one form or another, may you stay strong. And please, everyone, make sure to look after each other as best you can.

And I apologize in advance if it seems like the quality of this chapter isn't quite up to par with the norm I've established. Again, I just really, really needed an outlet here.

Chapter 54

The two veritable titans charged at one another at their top speeds. Jaune, being the smaller and lighter of the two, held the speed advantage and thus was the first to close the distance and make his move.

Soundlessly, he spun around twice to build up a massive amount of momentum in short order before swinging his blade, specifically his water Dust one.

His sword went right for Hazel's seemingly unprotected waist. Without his semblance and aura, his attack should easily cut into the man. But of course, it was far from that easy.

Even though Hazel was a little slow on physically responding, he'd still reacted in time by way of suddenly forming molten rock across his torso that served as armor against the veritable water jet cutting attack Jaune had just unleashed. Then as Jaune's blade harmlessly cut marginally into the rock, Hazel lashed out in turn with a powerful knee that would've sent the teen flying.

Jaune moved to the left and ducked his head slightly, avoiding the knee by inches at best. Withdrawing his blade, he simply swung his other blade at Hazel's other leg. Cutting the man across his thick calf, he was able to draw blood thanks to the usage of the wind Dust within this blade. Alas, it wasn't a very deep cut, the result of Hazel's power which was still growing through all this.

Nonetheless it was enough to make Hazel briefly stumble, his massive frame looming forth almost comically as the transformed man sought to regain his balance. But even in the midst of such an action, he unleashed a powerful burst of pure magical energy that slammed into Jaune like some sort of forcefield. It sent the teen flying a little bit off the ground and had somewhat dizzied him, but he'd managed to shake it off, flip around in midair and land on his feet without issue.

Unfortunately, this opened up the distance between again and just enough for Hazel to make use of his far greater reach, the now recovered man taking just two quick steps forward before throwing a lightning fast haymaker. Even more unfortunately, the man had timed this with when Jaune had landed and thus his massive fist slammed against Jaune's left side harshly.

Bones cracked and fractured. Skin tore and blood spilled. But even so, Jaune remained standing, having firmly planted his feet into the ground just as the fist had struck him and so he skidded along the ground for several feet at most before stopping. He'd kept his eyes on Hazel during this and thus when the man followed up with a straight punch with his other fist, Jaune was ready.

Rather than dodge, he held out both of his current blades, pouring aura into them and pushing against the Dust inside just as Hazel's fist was to crash against them. Said fist was also coated in molten rock just like Hazel's torso had been a second ago, providing a level of protection and additional damage output to the incoming attack. But Jaune had taken into account the density of the molten rock and thus had adjust his own output accordingly.

Thus, when the fist slammed against his blades, which he held out in a X-shaped formation, the converged and insanely sharpened wind and the sheer intensity of his impromptu water jet cutter proved enough to cut through the molten rock and into Hazel's hand itself, the blades burying themselves a solid few inches into the man's knuckles thanks to him having thrown all his weight behind his own attack.

Hazel howled in shock and pain and wasted no time pulling his fist back. As he did so, he also apparently made the clouds above rain down lightning, forcing Jaune to pull back and practically dance around for a brief moment.

One bolt in particular looked ready to nearly hit him – only for him to twirl in midair and kick it aside just when it'd been about to strike him. Such an absurdity was something he'd only barely registered, having done it more on instinct than anything else.

Slowly yet at a steady and sure pace, he and Hazel were reaching a realm of absurdity that others could only ever dream of. But as of now, neither of them could really note such a thing.

"Was it truly worth it, Hazel?" Jaune asked as he landed, glaring as Hazel held up his injured fist, the molten rock falling away to reveal the deep cuts Jaune had left in it. The sheer heat from said molten rock had already cauterized the wounds, however. "Was throwing away your humanity really the right thing to do?"

Hazel grimaced before actually responding in that deep and horridly distorted voice of his now. "Yes… at least… it was my choice and mine alone…" The man glared at him, readying his next move already. "Humanity… is a disgusting beast all its own… best to just… start over from scratch. At least then… I shall finally know peace."

Jaune sheathed his blades and withdrew his hard-light Dust blade as well as his lightning blade. "…I can only imagine how you felt losing your sister. I'd nearly lost my mother long ago, when I'd first become like this… and it'd scared me so terribly," he began softly. "And I can definitely empathize with what you'd gone through to become so… disconnected from humanity – not everyone is grateful when offered help. But though I'd been nothing more than a slave at the time, I still knew better than to let those people get me down – there were always those who genuinely appreciated my efforts… and in turn those people went on to pay it forward in some way. Humanity is horribly flawed, yes… but it can be beautiful too. And change is never quick, you know. It takes time, but only if allowed to have that time. What you've been doing ever since… you'd only be depriving humanity of that chance for change."

He tried to beseech Hazel to reconsider. In all honesty, he knew it was far too late for such a thing to happen, but nonetheless he had to try, wanted to try.

Alas…

Hazel growled. "Spare me your breath… you've changed. I'll acknowledge that… but you're still no hero!"

Hazel then leapt high into the air and towards the canyon that had formed mere minutes ago thanks to Jaune's and Amber's actions. The man crashed into the new cliffside with tremendous force, causing it to collapse into the lava and lightning charged ash below.

It was a cliffside Jaune was near and thus was now at risk at falling into.

Immediately, Jaune jumped – but not towards safety. He could tell that had he done so, Hazel would've just attacked him. Thus, he instead leapt at Hazel himself. The man didn't look all that surprised though for he simply shot out the spikes from the knuckles of his right fist at him, each one charged with electricity. Jaune deflected them with a single blade before charging up his own lightning Dust blade and sending a wave of lightning back towards Hazel who guarded by simply raising his arms to take the attack head on in midair.

This allowed Jaune ample time to practically slam into Hazel, however, the teen slamming his feet against Hazel's forearms and kicking off him as hard as he could. The result was Hazel being blasted downwards at high speeds while also launching himself well across the canyon to safety.

Said safety lasted only a split second, however, for Hazel generated intense flames that acted as thrusters to fly himself upwards and towards him. Jaune had to slide back to avoid Hazel's divebomb only to then end up having to cut through a wave of debris as said divebomb ended up cratering the ground and sending chunks of earth everywhere.

"Give it up." Hazel stood tall and stared at him. "You've already lost… there can be no stopping this, not anymore."

"No way to tell unless I try," Jaune retorted as he now charged up his hard-light Dust blade. "At least I can say that much, unlike you."

It was a petty potshot and Jaune honestly felt pretty horrible about it – Hazel had clearly gone through his own hardships and has had his own response to all of that. Such was the nature of individuality – not everyone will react the exact same way towards the exact same things.

But his petty words served their purpose in enraging Hazel, causing the man to rush right at him like a true berserker… and in doing so, leaving him susceptible to certain things now.

Jaune narrowed his eyes in concentration as he now charged up his lightning Dust blade too and held it close to his other drawn blade.

The more time he spent actively using the Dust within his blades, the more control he seemed to get over it, being able to pull off new things with the Dust. As always, trial by fire was the best way for him to learn things. He may never be able to rival Weiss' usage of Dust, but at least he had plenty more options now, options he knew he must make use of in order to end this.

"…" Suddenly, he started to spin both blades around, activating the Dust within them as they briefly obscured his form. He was cutting it close here with how close Hazel now was, but it was best to really make his tactic work.

From his rapid spinning, the activated Dust took form, generating several hard-light Dust copies of himself that mimicked his standard stance perfectly. And as he ceased in spinning his blades and prepared to move, the copies followed his exact movements.

"-?!" Hazel made a sound of genuine befuddlement. It would seem the man hadn't though him capable of such a complicated maneuver, understandably so considering his usual bullheaded approach to things. This surprise proved just enough to make Hazel delay his prepared punch and Jaune capitalized on that.

First, he charged forward, an action that grabbed Hazel's attention as his form briefly overlapped that of one of his copies – only for Jaune to then silently move towards the side just as Hazel attacked that copy.

Hazel ended up gasping as his fist destroyed the copy as the intense lightning ended up practically frying his fist. Looks like it worked, Jaune realized, having hoped his copies would become electrically charged if he'd combined the hard-light Dust with his lightning Dust.

The shock wasn't enough to hurt Hazel badly, but it did stall him just long enough for the rest of the copies to spread out and start attacking Hazel from all sides. Though a single powerful hit would be enough to destroy them, they were still plenty solid enough to attack their massive foe. Combined with the lightning Dust that made up a portion of their forms, their sudden and furious onslaught was practically tasering Hazel into submission.

Hazel howled and unconsciously lashed out with a sudden kick that destroyed a copy to his right, the resulting explosion of lightning damaging Hazel's offending leg quite badly. That only got another cry out of him but through the pain, the man tried to escape and rethink his approach.

An approach that Jaune sought to deny.

His attacks up until this point hadn't been to defeat Hazel outright but merely to goad Hazel into a false sense of security whilst he prepared a truly powerful strike.

This entire time, he'd been compressing a massive amount of his ever-growing power within himself as much as possible, only allowing small bits of it to spill out into his blades to utilize them as he has so far. And now it was time to unleash the entirety of the power he'd kept within.

With his copies serving as excellent distractions, Jaune now concentrated all that power within his hard-light blade, fully intent on letting loose a beam of light that would rend asunder even particles.

As the copies continued their relentless assault, now even detonating themselves by slamming against Hazel, Jaune readied his strike, raising his blade high.

This was it, he thought – hoped. This was the end.

He unleashed his strike.

The monster – Hazel – was in the midst of a mental breakdown of sorts.

Today was simply a day it – he – hadn't expected at all to turn out like this. First, there'd been Watts and what feeble resistance he'd put up before finally dying. But then that had been followed by the sudden appearance of two Maidens and Jaune Arc, the three of whom had been working together to take him down, albeit unsuccessfully.

Surprise aside, that he now had this opportunity to crush his most hated foe personally was something to be truly happy for, or at least as happy as he could be given his current state.

However, within so short a time, things were proving to be very… different.

He'd known that Jaune Arc would undoubtedly be much stronger than he'd been the last time they'd fought – and he was. He'd fully expected the teen to put up a fight no matter what – and he is. Hazel had also fully known in advance that now would be the time for them to exchange whatever words they had left to say – and that's exactly what they'd been doing.

He'd known all this, had fully expected all this and had also fully expected to deconstruct the teen once and for all before crushing him for good… except that is not how things were going so far. Instead, their words to one another had been altogether very brief… and more than that, Jaune Arc had uttered some truly blasphemous words.

At least he was trying, he said… how utterly infuriating.

Did this piece of shit, this slave, really, truly believe he was somehow superior to him in that respect?!

For so many years, Hazel had tried to be a good person. He's tried to do the 'right thing.' He's tried helping others and has done his very best to combat the evils mankind could produce.

All to no avail.

At some point, people had begun to express disbelief, annoyance or apathy towards his helpful actions. Others have outright tried to manipulate him to their own ends at times. The 'right thing' often times had terrible consequences for some involved, himself included. And no matter how many 'evils' he struck down, more would just pop up to take their place in droves.

He'd fought the world practically… and the world had ultimately won, had worn him down to a bitter shell of his initial self. Only his sister and her support had ever been able to put him at ease before she was so cruelly ripped away from him and left him in this rotting, disgusting world of humans.

Had he changed considerably since he'd first begun his fruitless crusade back then? Oh yes, there was no denying that… but it hadn't been immediate, nowhere near so. It'd taken years and years of constant struggle for him to be worn down so much.

And yet… this bastard, despite knowing this, dare make such a comment?!

Jaune Arc was truly his most hated foe, his polar opposite in so many ways. A slave and a fool down to the very core even after the growth he'd undergone.

Alas, Hazel had allowed his rage to overwhelm him and rush right in like a complete rookie, had left him open to Jaune Arc's sudden usage of hard-light clones of all things. Had he been in a clearer state of mind, he'd have been able to see through the clones and attack the real one without being overwhelmed like he is right now.

This was a mistake Hazel resolved to never make again.

But alas…

Even in the midst of these clones assaulting him, Hazel was keenly aware of the real Jaune stepping back, charging up what was to be a truly powerful attack, a massive amount of power condensed into something far more concentrated, just like earlier.

In terms of power, Hazel still had an advantage, but an attack like that… without his semblance and aura to protect him any longer, such an attack will surely do far more than just leave a wound like the one he now sports upon his torso.

Yes… an attack like that would surely kill him…!

NO! Not yet! This is not to be where he dies!

Letting loose a powerful roar, Hazel swatted aside the remainder of the clones, destroying them with wild swings of his arms. Contact with them caused the muscles throughout his body, especially his arms, to spasm like crazy, practically keeping him from moving.

But even so, he fought through this, trying to take even a few steps forward. He had to avoid that incoming strike no matter what!

However, he immediately realized dodging wasn't in the picture. Thus, he could only retaliate.

In response to his rage and will to live and take vengeance, his already growing power grew even further and far more drastically than ever before. Opening his mouth, he wasted no time in shooting out a massive beam of pure magical energy directly at Jaune Arc.

Said beam was so fast that not even lightning could compare anymore, and so powerful that the very ground itself seemed to rapidly disintegrate even though the beam was being fired well above the earth. Without a doubt, this was Hazel's most powerful attack to date.

Unfortunately, by the time he'd fired the beam, Jaune Arc had already finished charging his own attack.

And then the teen actually unleashed his own strike.

The slash of insanely condensed aura and hard-light Dust was of a level never before seen, just barely surpassing the speed of light itself and possessing a level of power that even completely outstripped Hazel's own attack just now. The energy had simply been that condensed.

Thus, it blew through his beam soundlessly and right towards – and through – his chest cavity.

Hazel let out a silent gasp and was perfectly still for a moment before looking down… and seeing the massive hole in his chest.

There was no doubt about it – his heart, his lungs, part of his stomach… they were just gone, completely gone.

At that realization, the pain finally hit him and he staggered forth a few steps before collapsing onto his knees. His massive hands impacted against the ground harshly and he could only grip at the earth tightly.

A human had no way of surviving such damage, not in the slightest. Such a heavy injury would be instantly fatal. In his case, he'd merely live just a little longer than most, if only to crumble from the pain.

…

…

…Except…

Hazel let out another gasp, only this time it wasn't a silent one. He blinked once then twice as he now realized something.

True, it hurt, it hurt like hell… but he was still just as alert as ever – he was in no danger of sinking into the figurative abyss just yet.

That was when a certain realization hit him. It was one he'd had much earlier, back when he'd first transformed into his current form, but it was only now that the implications truly hit him.

"Ah…" Despite the circumstances, Hazel actually let out a brief wheeze before beginning to chuckle a little despite now missing some supposedly vital organs.

A mere human would surely perish from the loss of their heart and lungs and other organs… but a monster had no need for such things.

And isn't that exactly what he'd desired to be earlier? What he now was? A monster, a nonhuman.

Hah… how very ironic, Hazel – the monster – realized as it now stood up, its own magical energies surging and now unconsciously working to close up the massive hole he now had. Not to restore his useless organs, but really just to close up the hole.

If Jaune Arc had become this much stronger from supposedly becoming more human, then it makes sense that he – it – would become stronger now from becoming less human.

As the monster now stood to its full height and stared in dark, sadistic glee at a stupefied Jaune, it lightly flexed its muscles, making sure they were in proper working order before taking a bold step forward.

"Come 'hero.' Words are wasted between us," the monster said before assuming a beast-like stance. "Come and see if you can slay this monster now."

Then the monster went on the attack.

It was with an increasingly heavy heart that Ozpin went about his new routine. Well, new in the sense that it's really the first time he's ever done so during this particular lifetime.

In his original life as Ozma, he'd started out as just another simple boy with aspirations of being something greater. It'd been a goal he'd worked hard to achieve, having eventually become a powerful warrior and eventually a king, albeit in his second life regarding the latter. In any case, during his initial life, he'd gone on numerous adventures, had accrued a plethora of experience doing all sorts of things.

War had been one such thing, both on the frontlines and in the rear, where the strategizing was done. But no matter how close or far he'd been from the battlefield, there'd always been that certain level of tension bearing down on him, a time limit that demanded he act fast and decisively – or else many others would pay the price for his mistakes and moments of indecision.

This was sadly something he's gotten plenty more experience in over the course of his countless lives, but this time around is the first time in quite a while where the stress was reaching a similar level to back then. Certainly, there'd been some very close calls in the past, times where Salem's forces had come so terribly close to achieving a truly decisive victory that'd leave his forces crippled, but he'd always managed to snatch victory away from her at the last possible moment.

But in most of those cases, they'd been but ultimately minor skirmishes in terms of scale. Long has it been since a Grimm horde has been successfully formed and unleashed upon Remnant. To know so painfully that a horde was making its way towards Vale and that the most he could do was send out just three people to delay it was driving him insane.

Granted, the three in question were absolute powerhouses, but they were still at a massive disadvantage when it came to numbers, plus there was Hazel to account for as well.

Alas, all he could do was put his faith in them just as he has done so many times before. He'll admit to being more than a little jaded and worn down from this constant struggle against his former wife, but even so he always learned how to hold onto hope.

Of course, that didn't mean he was doing nothing else.

Currently, he was aboard James' flagship, yet again going over new data and hashing out whatever measures they could think of in order to improve their chances for if – no, when – the horde arrives, because barring any sudden and utterly massive miracles, there was simply no way Mr. Arc, Raven, and Amber can deal with both Hazel and the horde before they get too close to Vale.

"Though we're observing from far out, we can still make out what appears to be the work of the Maidens, sir," spoke Winter Schnee, who was giving a report to both him and James as they looked over a large hologram that displayed the data the specialist had collected very recently.

It's been a few hours now since the three were expected to reach and engage the horde and Hazel. So far, there'd been absolutely no contact from them, also as expected, but it was clear they were making their presence known in their own little ways.

"I see," James spoke as he zoomed in the image the hologram was providing, said device linked currently to Winter's scroll. He appeared to be looking on in great interest at what appeared to be the most vicious lightning storm seen in recent history. There was also no mistaking the sign of severe hail but the random blasts of fire and literally chilling winds also made their appearance too.

"To think we'd even be able to see some of the fallout of their battle from here… that's honestly amazing," Ozpin murmured as he too observed closely. He then looked to Winter. "This is current, yes? As in, this is ongoing right now?"

"That's correct, sir. It would seem they are still very much active in combat… and if you don't mind me saying, I can't decide if that's a good sign or bad sign…"

Both, Ozpin thought.

On the one hand, it meant they were still alive and hopefully relatively well but on the other hand, that they were still in the midst of combat said a lot about their circumstances. That the battle can be even remotely observed from this far away spoke of how close the horde now is to Vale. And even though it was very clear now that both Amber and Raven were making work of said horde, they simply weren't killing enough Grimm off at a quick enough rate.

That aside though…

"What of this particular spot?" Ozpin asked as he pointed somewhere even further away, a spot that the horde had passed up.

"It's hard to tell what with the scale of the attacks the Maidens are letting loose, but we've observed the same 'oddities' there as well, but seemingly on an even greater scale, if only in terms of sheer power; what few radars our bullheads have that can measure energy levels have been completely overloaded just from trying to get close enough to monitor the situation."

At that, James hummed. "Then it seems like Hazel is even stronger than we'd feared," he said with an anxious expression. "Considering the Maidens' energy levels can be read when they attack… just what does that say about him?"

"Now, now, there's also Mr. Arc's presence there to consider as well. I'm sure he's contributing to this overloading as well," Ozpin said, trying to serve as the voice of reassurance even though he too was feeling worried.

In light of Qrow's and Raven's report, he'd estimated Hazel to certainly be stronger than a Maiden now, but for something like this to happen… just how strong has Hazel become? Was Mr. Arc fairing well?

On that note… just why was Mr. Arc the only one going up against Hazel? Would it not have been better for him, Amber, and Raven to take on Hazel together? True, they couldn't just ignore the horde, but Hazel on his lonesome was still too big a threat to not throw everything against.

"I can only hope so, Oz," James murmured, snapping him out of his thoughts. "…In any case, our preparations need to continue. Winter, how goes the wall defenses?"

"Quite well, sir," Winter immediately replied. "What ships we've left have formed their new perimeter for maximum efficiency, the guns atop the wall have been fully serviced and ready for action. Additionally, some of our own men had sought out help from local huntsmen to further bolster available manpower."

"Good. Let me know if anything changes then between now and the afternoon."

Winter saluted and then took her leave, Ozpin and James now alone as they looked over all their remaining resources.

Ozpin had been the one to put the word out among all huntsmen of what was to come. Many have answered his call, not just from within the kingdom of Vale but without as well. Whether it was out of a genuine sense of duty and faith or simply because they'd been itching for a damn good challenge, he cared not – what mattered is that they were steadily amassing the manpower needed to directly take on the Grimm with the Atlas fleet and its soldiers serving as hefty support.

Unfortunately…

"Afraid we can't rely on any help from the police," James pointed out with a grimace.

While certainly not as capable overall as huntsmen or even Atlas soldiers, the police force of Vale was still a formidable bunch, with many veterans on the force who know how to handle themselves in most conflicts. Even though they lacked unlocked auras and the typical over the top firepower the Atlas soldiers tend to have, they still had body armor to go around and their general weaponry would work well enough against the more minor Grimm. And against the horde, every able-bodied person who could help was more than worth their weight in riches.

Sadly, even now, protests and riots persisted throughout the kingdom, requiring the police force's constant attention, thus preventing them from doing anything more. Not even what few huntsmen and Atlas forces that could be spared to help out could significantly alleviate this heavy burden.

But more than that, there was still one glaring issue.

"Even if they could assist, we'd still be stretched terribly thin," Ozpin spoke softly.

Though he was certain Salem would believe otherwise, he wasn't simply dedicating all their available forces to Vale's south – only a complete and utter fool would do such a thing. Sometimes, his former wife became just a bit too confident and assumed she could get one over him. She may have had plenty of time to learn the intricacies of war and the like, but when it came to actual experience, he had the advantage there.

And there was not a doubt in his mind that the incoming attack from the south was nothing more than the opening act, the overture. The real attack would likely come from another direction entirely.

And considering the most capable and overall dangerous Grimm can be found within Salem's lands, that meant the real attack would likely be approaching from Vale's west, the general direction in which Salem's lands were positioned relative to the kingdom.

Of this, he was most certain.

As certain as he is, however, they were severely lacking in options here. Mankind was plentiful in number, but they paled in comparison next to the Grimm, who could be spawned and mature into some combat ready form at a far faster rate than what humans are capable of.

They can't afford to ease up on defenses in the south because if they did so even a little bit, the horde there would easily steamroll them all and make their way into Vale. He didn't doubt another horde, if smaller than the southern one, will be attacking from the west but the southern Grimm horde would be arriving here first, meaning the south must be tended to first.

Just what to do? With how little time remained until these attacks began, there was simply no way he could call back the Summer Maiden nor could he demand the current Winter Maiden to try joining the frontlines, not when there was simply not enough time for either one to arrive here, to say nothing of the fact that in the latter's case, even the slightest bit of overexertion would very likely mark her end.

Likewise, he didn't have the time either to go retrieve either the Relic of Creation or Destruction. Even if time did allow for such a thing, there was no telling what would happen if he tried to do so, since Salem possessing the Relic of Knowledge now meant he could very easily end up walking into a trap that'll cost him the Relics. And the Relic of Choice was out of the question – its power, whilst a terrifying one, was not one suited to being used against Grimm.

With all those options not being possible, something else would be needed to greet the incoming western attack…

…

…

…No, not something. Someone.

Ozpin closed his eyes as that thought only now just hit him. "Of course… how long has it been since I've ever done something like that?"

"Hmm?" James looked to him, confused. "Oz…?"

The idea of an attack from the west was not something James had been kept out of the loop about. Even without him having said a single thing, Ozpin knew the Atlas general was plenty experienced enough to expect such a move.

Thus, with this in mind, Ozpin simply got straight to the point.

"I will see to guarding the west," he stated.

His words had the appropriate response.

James practically leapt out of his seat and looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "Oz, you can't be serious here! Even for you, that's insane!"

"I know that very well," the ancient wizard replied, a rather sardonic smile on his face now. "Nonetheless… it's just about the only card left to play here. After all, weakened as I am, I'm still more than capable of taking on a Maiden by myself. I may not have the capacity for large scale attacks like a Maiden, but my speed and skill and what little magic power I've let more than makes up for that."

Yes, the more he thought on it, the more sense such a decision made.

He'd never been one to shy away from getting his hands dirty, but he'd simply gotten so used to combatting Salem from the shadows via subterfuge that aside from his swift battle with Cinder Fall and her two subordinates, it's been a long time indeed since he'd stepped down as a figurative general and stepped up again as the warrior he'd once been.

And with the odds being what they are, now was no better time than any to shake off his figurative rust.

"Besides, it will not be as if I'll be taking on the entire horde alone – there were still be what defenders we can spare from both the huntsmen we've available and your own forces too. My only regret about this is that our students will see bloodshed up close and personal, no matter how we'd wish otherwise…" At that, he trailed off.

Certainly, he was more than a capable warrior, but the fact of the matter is, with them needing every helping hand they can get, this naturally meant having to call upon both the staff and student body of Beacon itself as well as any and all students from the other kingdoms who were still here within Vale. Just about the only solace he can find in all this is that most of the students will be dealing with the northern and eastern fronts, where Grimm presence was expected to be relatively light. As for the fourth-year students, however, well, their particular assignments have yet to be decided even now, but they will be seeing more action than their juniors in one form or another.

"Even so, if you were to fall, Oz…" James began. "There'd be no telling what'll happen next time!"

At that, Ozpin did have to bow his head in sadness. With how high the stakes are, the end of this life seemed very high… and there was as always no telling just how things will go in his next life. He may end up reincarnating in someone similar to him, but whatever circumstances that someone had were out of his control. He could easily end up in a position worse off than most or he could end up in a rather good starting point. There was just no way to really tell.

But more than that, if Salem did succeed here then no matter how well off his next life may possibly start, that will still be very relative when in comparison to now. If Vale falls, the Atlas fleet here will no doubt go down with it and that meant James would too, which would be a massive blow to Atlas. Likewise, any and all huntsmen who end up falling here will deprive the other kingdoms and the frontier of greatly needed assistance too and the information network he has set up will have effectively crumbled.

He inwardly sighed. He'd gathered up all his cards into one spot too hastily. It may afford him the ability to consolidate his forces effectively and have reliable people go out and fulfill whatever missions had to be done, but on the other hand, this also meant they could all get effectively taken out in one fell swoop.

Vale definitely couldn't afford to fall. At the very least, something had to be done to mitigate the inevitable damage.

And if that meant having to step up to the plate, then so be it.

"Believe me, I'm well aware of the risks," the Beacon headmaster said as he now stood, gripping his cane tightly. "But frankly, we've just about run out of moves to play. We've done just about all we can, James. At this point, we're just micromanaging the numbers too much and to our detriment considering how stressed you and I are right now."

"Even so…" James started only to trail off. He was unable to refute Ozpin's point. There was simply no way to do so.

Ozpin turned to look at the man and smiled bitterly. "…Should I be killed, I hope to be able to meet you and the others again in my next life."

The implications of his words were as clear as day – don't you go off and die on me in the meantime. Don't be too reckless.

James clearly held back a grimace and instead managed to settle for a snort. "If it does come to that, I'll make sure to say 'I told you so' the very instant I see the new you."

Ozpin had a little chuckle at that.

Despite how dire the situation was, he suddenly found himself feeling considerably unburdened now.

It was not a bad feeling at all.

Sword and fist collided with tremendous force. The clash lasted all but an instant, causing both Jaune and Hazel to go skidding back from one another at high speeds. Had the blond not planted his free blade into the ground at that moment to force himself to a halt, there was no telling how far back he'd have gone.

He'd been wise to do so, for Hazel had simply fired some thrusters of his to force himself forward again. The transformed man raised both arms, fully intent on crushing him in mid-leap.

Pulling his blade from the ground, Jaune proceeded to swing it in unison with his other sword. The blades in question were his fire and water Dust blades respectively. Pouring a modest amount of aura into them, he activated the Dust in mid-swing. The elements, equal in strength, ended up canceling each other out and produced incredibly thick and scalding hot steam.

Against the likes of Hazel, this steam did no damage as it ended up covering his entire upper body, but it did blind the man and got a distorted cough out of him in mid-motion. That was when Jaune silently stepped forward and swung his blades again, intent on cutting right into Hazel's waist.

However-.

"-!"

Jaune's attack was abruptly stopped as thick molten rock formed to protect the otherwise blinded Hazel's midsection. But unlike before, where it'd essentially been just armor plating, the form this molten rock had taken on now was that of a huge arm jutting out from just below the transformed man's left arm.

This new arm blocked his attack like it was nothing and then proceeded to swat him back, landing a solid backhand across the top of his head. The blow sent him flying but he forcibly recovered as soon as he hit the ground, his flesh slightly sizzling from where contact had been made.

Hazel landed where he'd just been and let out a brief bark of dark glee that dissipated the steam for good. This allowed Jaune to see the new arm in full… and it hadn't been the only one formed either as another arm now formed on Hazel's right side.

The blond grimaced. Though he didn't express it outwardly, his emotions were something of a mess and for various reasons.

Firstly, this battle was lasting far too long, two hours to be precise. Although his resolve to end this matter between him and Hazel once and for all remained, there was still the horde to deal with. Speaking of which, the horde had gotten quite far ahead, as expected given the time frame and with the horde had gone both Amber and Raven. By now, the Maidens should've picked off quite a number of Grimm, but they must be completely exhausted too; using the Maiden power, from what he could tell, required an intense level of concentration and as anyone who's ever dedicated themselves to anything so intensively, even if it was on something mundane and non-physical, it can be an extremely straining experience.

It didn't help matters either that this whole time, both his and Hazel's power have continued to rise and so has the intensity of their battle. The surrounding area was a complete far cry from its original state, now reduced to nothing more than a wasteland, with all the trees completely eradicated for miles on end and with countless craters and gouges in the earth everywhere, to say nothing of the formed canyon still nearby. By this point in time, the two of them had long since gotten used to each other's moves and now in addition to this being a battle of attrition, it was now a battle of ingenuity, a test to see which of them can figure out a way past the other's defenses first. They'd had to get creative just to slip something past the other now. These two new arms that Hazel had formed just now was just the most recent in a somewhat lengthy line of new moves so far.

Secondly, he was beginning to run low on Dust. His usage of Dust was different from how most others such as Weiss use it and because of the rather unique way in which he swiftly and briefly shunts his aura against Dust rather than directly into it, he's able to make the Dust in his blades last much longer. However, that didn't meant the Dust would last indefinitely and against a foe like Hazel, his Dust had seen very frequent use just to slow him down at times.

In hindsight, he should've figured out a way to carry more Dust… no, scratch that, that wouldn't have worked. Given how he needs to pop open the bottom of his blades' hilts in order to empty out the current Dust and fill in the new Dust, it just wouldn't have been practical to refill in mid-battle, especially not with how aggressive his opponent is.

But thirdly and most importantly… Hazel himself was a cause for concern. Not in the sense of him being a strong and dangerous foe – which was definitely the case – but rather, Jaune worried and even somewhat mourned his enemy's mental state.

"To think you'd go this far…" he murmured as Hazel prepared his next move. The transformed man in question thrust out both of his actual fists and from his knuckles, new spikes formed and launched themselves at Jaune. The teen was quick to move to the side and promptly cut down the sudden ball of molten rock that one of Hazel's arms had detached itself from to become.

This gave Hazel all the time needed to slam a fist into the ground and make it ripple in a controlled fashion, the shockwave splitting into two before spreading out and then heading right for Jaune from his sides. At that same moment, the man himself charged right at him.

With left, right, and ahead being cut off, Jaune could only jump back or upwards. Neither option seemed especially appealing since Hazel had plenty of options to choose from. So instead, Jaune raised a foot and then stomped down as hard as he could, but also with controlled force.

His stomp proved to be just enough to cancel out the shockwaves and he wasted no time leaning to his left just as Hazel approached and swung both of his right arms at him in the form of a massive hook. Only barely did Jaune managed to duck under the arms before then swinging directly upwards and cutting with enough concentrated force from his water Dust blade to cut through the molten rock arm. He had to use what Dust was left within the blade to cleanly slice through the arm, but it was worth it as his swing caused the entirety of the formation to crumble and leave Hazel's side open.

Immediately, Jaune moved forward and then spun to deliver a fierce roundhouse kick that impacted against Hazel's exposed side. It struck the man hard enough to actually break some bones in addition to sending the transformed man reeling – but Jaune knew better.

Still in motion he silently and gracefully swapped out his now depleted water Dust blade with his lightning Dust blade and raised it high. The storm that the Maiden's actions have formed earlier and had been exacerbated over time by Hazel himself was still there, lightning raining down off in the distance. As he raised his blade high and concentrated, he maneuvered his now activated lightning Dust blade into the path of an incoming bolt and the blade ended up supercharged. He wasted no time bringing it down along the side of Hazel's right leg, cutting deep into it.

That got a roar of pain out of Hazel, a roar that was then followed up by a pulse of pure magical energy meant to slam against Jaune. However, the teen had predicted such a move and so was able to safely jump back in time to avoid being struck. And when Hazel, having recovered himself, moved in to deliver a low punch, Jaune proceeded to parry it with his fire Dust blade before then reversing his grip on it and started to swing at an upwards angle. His attack caught Hazel along the upper part of his throat due to how the man leaned in to do this punch and the suddenness of this caused him to let out an awkward wheeze through the new opening.

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he concentrated, activating the fire Dust within his blade just before reversing his swing and delivering a second cut to the man's throat, just a little deeper than the first one. Hazel gurgled – and then reacted.

In an instant, Hazel lumbered forward, looking as if he was going to wrap his arms around Jaune in a massive bear hug. But instead of that happening, a multitude of supercharged spikes suddenly discharged from his huge forearms and stabbed right into Jaune's body.

Now Jaune was the one to lurch as his flesh was pierced in addition to a few organs. He was just lucky no spikes ended up impaling him through the throat or head. His healing may be truly exceptional but he wasn't sure if he wanted to see if he could recover from wounds of that level.

In any case, this left him stunned for a moment and that was all it took for Hazel to suddenly nab him by the top of his head harshly. His grip proved to be immensely powerful and thus painful. Jaune had no idea if the man was trying to crush his head like a fruit, but it sure felt like that was the case. He started to struggle, prepared to cut into the man's hand – only for Hazel to suddenly deliver a powerful punch right to his crotch of all places with a lightning coated fist.

The unexpectedness of this particular move was enough to catch the blond off guard and it stunned him long enough for Hazel to then deliver four brutal blows with that same fist to his face and stomach. With each strike, lightning discharged from Hazel's fist and into his body, practically making him convulse and cooking him from the inside out. He actually started to see spots in his vision-.

-But even so, he was far from done just yet.

Once again, this was not the time to be letting pain get to him. This was not the time for him to fall, not now, not ever.

His resolve growing ever firmer, his power grew immensely in response, golden aura pouring from the very core of his being without restraint. Hazel obviously noticed this and looked to finish him off for good this time, roaring right in his face with such force that it actually hurt. It didn't help that the man was literally spewing sizzling ash right into his face.

However, this wasn't enough to do him in and Hazel clearly noticed that. Thus, the man sought to land another punch – only for Jaune to raise a leg at the last instant and block the attack with his foot alone. Kicking against it as hard as he could, it actually knocked Hazel's fist back hard enough for the man to be taken by surprise, throwing him off balance a bit. This gave Jaune the leeway needed to swing a blade and cut into the side of Hazel's arm – and through it.

Hazel howled as his arm was severed from the elbow down and it fell to the ground unceremoniously alongside Jaune.

Jaune landed on a knee and with his head bowed – but as he raised his head to look up, it was with golden aura surging out of an eye, giving him a truly menacing look. It was enough to take Hazel aback and that gave him ample opportunity to return the favor.

He kicked Hazel right in the crotch. Though the man's transformed state made it apparent he no longer appeared to possess his family jewels, a hard kick to the crotch was still a kick to the damn crotch and Hazel reacted accordingly, wheezing and crumbling in on himself a bit. Jaune followed up with another kick, this time to the side of Hazel's right leg before then actually slugging the man across the jaw as the kick brought him low.

His punch proved immensely powerful and knocked Hazel several meters away and resulting in him landing on his back.

Rather than give chase to capitalize on this opening, however, Jaune hung back and wisely so – the smallest sign of magical power building up indicated that Hazel would've let loose a blast as soon as he'd gotten too close.

Alas, this also had a drawback – rather than allow that magical power to go to waste, Hazel instead channeled it inwards in order to heal his wounds just now. In a split second, he went from looking quite rough up to looking almost unharmed now.

Jaune sized up Hazel with nary a sound upon seeing it. The man being able to heal himself using magical energy had definitely been unexpected the first time he'd done so, especially after the massive hole that had been left in his torso at the time, but now in hindsight, the blond should've seen such a thing coming – it was just so very like the man to be able to figure out an alternative way of doing things.

But what had been paining him this whole time had been the why behind this shift in Hazel.

"…Is this truly your final answer?" the blond asked quietly as he sheathed his fire Dust blade and pulled out his ice Dust blade. "Is this the path you've chosen for good? To become a monster?"

The man had only made that one statement back when he'd first healed and had said nothing else since then. Even so, that one remark had been all it took for Jaune to realize what Hazel had meant.

If Jaune's aim was to be a genuine hero then Hazel was now dedicating himself to serve the role of monster. Their respective and contrasting desires are what served as the source of their ever-growing strength.

Their first battle had been between a slave against a fallen hero, which had led to a second battle between a newly freed man and a man becoming more of a prisoner to his losses. And now, this was a battle between a young man aspiring to be a hero of his own free will and a man who'd become subservient to his grudges and had become a literal monster as a result.

"Hazel… answer me, please," Jaune all but pleaded as the man got back up now in silence. "Just what do you even aim to do anymore? if you do manage to kill me and crush the kingdoms… what then? Will your path ever have an end?"

"…" Hazel made a noise, contemplating something. "Let's say you do become a true hero, 'slave.' Just how do you expect that path to end? Will you eventually stop and settle down once you save enough people or smite enough threats? Or will you just continue on without end, ever on your lonesome?"

At that response, Jaune paused. To that question, he had no response.

Could he ever stop what he was doing? He honestly didn't know. He just couldn't picture himself ever choosing to stop going out there to help others and strike down whatever threats cropped up.

But on his lonesome…?

At that particular thought, he actually closed his eyes despite the situation he was in. It only lasted for a split second, however, before he reopened them.

As was now becoming a routine thing, he was beginning to realize a certain 'answer' in the midst of this conflict.

In response to this slowly dawning realization, his aura resumed in its spilling forth from his very being, its golden glow brighter and more intense than ever before. And yet, it wasn't spilling out as violently as it had been just a minute ago. If anything, it – himself – somehow felt a little calmer, a little more oriented.

Jaune slowly lowered his blade and let out a deep breath before readjusting his stance.

"I can't say for sure how my path will turn out, much less what may lie for me at the end," he began. "But regardless, it seems that we really are alike in all sorts of ways."

Regardless of the numerous and significant differences between them, in the end, they were both nothing more than numbskulls. Ever marching on to achieve their respective ideas of victory, willing to go to incredible lengths to reach whatever current goals they may have… and more than that, willing to bet everything that was themselves on the line in situations like this.

Ha, it was almost kind of funny really. It was enough to get a quick chuckle out of him. Surprisingly, Hazel let out a distorted chuckle of his own, clearly thinking the same thing, which only further proved his point.

"And it's because we're so alike," Jaune continued, now serious again. "That only one of us can walk away from this alive… how sad, really; under some very different circumstances, we likely would've gotten along very well."

Jaune readied himself as did Hazel.

This was it, no more words needed past this point. They could continue their back and forth pontifications all they want, but in the end, it'll be the victor who decides who is right and who is wrong between them.

The two of them threw themselves at each other. Their battle resumed in earnest.

Basically, picture Jaune and Hazel as this fic's version of Shirou and Kotomine from the Heaven's Feel finale in terms of differences/similarities.

Until next time, everyone. Please stay safe.